Fishing in Turks and Caicos: drop a line, then grill your catch on the beach

Best for: groups who want to try fishing together

Bottom fishing is the easiest kind there is. The boat stops over a good patch, you lower a baited line toward the seabed and wait for the bite. It fits neatly around the rest of the day, between a snorkel and a sandbar, and nobody needs any experience. Rods, bait and fishing licenses all come with the add-on, so it’s a relaxed first taste of fishing for anyone who has never held a rod.

Does everyone on board have to fish?

Everyone signs up for it. The add-on works like a group fishing license, so the whole party takes it or the boat can’t fish. It’s paid in person on the day of the charter, separately from the price you book at.

Best for: a full day and the freshest lunch on the island

On the eight-hour charters of both fishing boats, lunch is a beach BBQ: chicken, ribs, and peas and rice, with fresh conch ceviche. Whatever the group catches can go on the grill with it, go home with you, or a bit of both. On the shorter charters, lunch is sandwiches and fresh fruit.

Can you cook the fish you catch?

Yes, on the eight-hour days, and the same goes for lobster in season. The double-decker takes up to 70, with two waterslides and a bathroom, which makes it a favorite for family reunions, weddings and company days. Both boats leave from Leeward, and both can pick you up from select Grace Bay resorts at no charge, weather permitting.

Best for: snorkelers who want to catch dinner

Lobster isn’t caught on a rod. You snorkel down with the crew and look for spiny lobster tucked under ledges, and several of our full-day charters turn the catch into lunch on a quiet beach. It’s one of the best things a winter boat day can hold, and our lobster season guide lists every boat that does it.

When is lobster season in Turks and Caicos?

August 1 to March 31. In season, the catch-and-cook full days include the 26ft and 22ft boats, the 35ft yacht, the 43ft yacht and both fishing boats. Outside the season, the fishing keeps going year-round.

Best for: families and seafood lovers

Finding your own queen conch in the shallows is a thrill. On the eight-hour charters of both fishing boats and the 43ft yacht, the crew helps you hunt for conch in the shallows, then turns it into fresh ceviche on the spot. On most other boats you can ask for it on the day, and the group conch-hunt excursion makes it the whole morning.

Is conch hunting included on a charter?

On those full days, yes. Elsewhere it depends on the captain and the conditions, so it’s never guaranteed. More in our queen conch guide.

• Book eight hours if eating your catch is the point.
• Pack a hat and polarized sunglasses. Waiting for a bite on open water is sunny work, and the glasses help you spot fish below.
• Keep what you’ll eat. The daily limit of 10 pounds of fish per angler, plus one trophy fish, keeps the banks full for the next boat.
• Trust the captain’s spot. The national parks, Grace Bay included, are no-fishing water, so your captain takes you somewhere the fish are fair game.

Fishing is one stop in a bigger day. On a private boat charter you can fish, snorkel, slide off the top deck and finish with a beach BBQ. For a crowd, see our large-group charters guide; for a morning of conch and shells with other families, a group excursion does it. If you’d like to fish with us, pick your boat below.

• Taxes included. The price you see is the price you pay for the charter.
• A deposit secures the boat. Every boat shows its free-cancellation window.
• The fishing add-on is paid on the day, in person, on top of the charter.